"ZeroPaid is reporting that ISPs could be turned into the copyright police through European legislation that received a number of 'intellectual property' amendments. Many of these amendments can be found here. Judging by the amendments, ISPs could be mandated to block legitimate traffic in an effort to 'prevent' illegitimate traffic. To help stop this legislation, you can check out the action page. Additional coverage can be found on EDRI and Open Rights Group."

An appeal from three European NGOs - La Quadrature du Net, netzpolitik.org and EDRi-member Open Rights Group - reveal some disturbing MEPs amendments to the draft directives to reform the EU framework on electronic communications (telecom package).

The review of the telecom package was merely focusing on telecom-related issues (except for discussions on the ePrivacy directive, which is the subject of another EDRi-gram article in the current issue), but some of the 800 amendments on the 5 directives that form the current package might go further than just establishing the rules for a functioning electronic communications market and could endanger the principle of the neutrality of the Internet.

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"The politicians who engage in these summer manoeuvres dishonour Europe and their mandate. They rely on the fact that nobody watches them few days before Parliamentary holiday, to divert the Telecom package from its primary objectives of consumer protection. They pave the way for the monitoring and filtering of the Internet by private companies, exceptional courts and Orwellian technical measures. It is inconceivable for freedom but also for European economic development. We call on all MEPs to oppose what they have already rejected." said Christophe Espern, co-founder of La Quadrature du Net (Squaring the Net).

Yes, everybody’s trying to punish the “bloody” pirates, who don’t give a damn about copyright policies and do their best to share information with other Internet consumers.

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In an article published today in “Le Monde”, they say that the government is now trying to find the best solutions to domesticate those people so fond of “téléchargement illicite”. But their strategy is a more pedagogical one.

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I’m pretty curious what the final law against illegal downloads will look like in France. Anyway, it’s funny to see how they all try to find the aproppriate solutions for fighting against one of the most “natural” consequences of Internet consumption. Thank God in Romania we’re some good years behind as far as copyright laws are concerned.

The EFF points us to new disturbing demands by the French version of the RIAA known as SNEP (Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique). Among the demands are a deadline for laws to be put in place that would disconnecting file-sharers from the internet and the ability to serve as police, judge and jury against French P2P users.

When it comes to making what many see as far fetched claims about copyright, many think of copyright industry bodies inside the United States. Recently though, it seems as though there are dramatic claims and demands coming out of the French copyright industry recently.

The EFF recently pointed to a posting made by La Quadrature Du Net (Squaring the Net) which shows, among other things, a leaked copy of the proposed French law.

Six months on from the original Olivennes report, with growing objections across Europe, collapsing support for Sarkozy's administration at home, and still no "three strikes" law on any statute books, the entertainment industry is getting a little antsy. Last week, the French RIAA, le Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique (SNEP), announced a deadline to Sarkozy's ministers. Hervé Rony, SNEP spokesman, said "it would not be acceptable" for the three strikes law to miss the French Parliament's Summer schedule.

It looks like SNEP's demands are not going to be met. Before the "Loi Olivennes" can even reach parliament, it has to be examined by the French Counseil d'Etat, the senior jurists that advise the French executive and acts as France's supreme court.

They are not rushing their analysis. Just why might be gleaned from the leaked copy of the law sent to them for consideration (provided by Squaring the Net in French). Even after being moderated from earlier drafts, the document still describes a stunning shift in judicial and enforcement, both offline and on.

After explaining exactly why drastic measures are necessary (to "prevent the hemorrhaging of cultural works on the Internet") 1 the document outlines a powerful new government body, the High Authority for the Distribution of Works and the Protection of Rights on the Internet (La Haute Autorité pour la diffusion des œuvres et la protection des droits sur Internet, or HADOPI).

A recently published and adopted report from the EU Parliament throws a long-awaited crumb of comfort to the beleaguered European ISP community, braced for legal assault over issues of electronic content copyright.

So what? you may ask.

Well, according to an expert an the specialised area that is European politics, this amendment could be significant and might spike the guns of the pro-copyright “flog ‘em and hang ‘em’ brigade (now led by French President, Nicholas Sarkozy).

Under the French proposals, for instance, ISPs would be forced to adopt an active policing policy on behalf of the content industries. This would include network filtering, cutting off P2P traffic flows that contained ‘pirated’ material, in addition to taking down material flagged up by copyright owners. It would also mandate ISPs to disconnect customers who offended one times too many (’three strikes and you’re out’).

The Bono Report amendment goes the other way and sets out the parliament’s attitude to the Internet and its little ways: it confirms what a great thing the Internet is in its role of connecting people, promoting innovation etc.

PARIS: Prodded by the music industry and government, some Internet service providers are reluctantly exploring the adoption of an old-fashioned shunning ritual as the ultimate 21st century punishment: banishing errant online users.

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Lawmakers in the European Parliament, in a symbolic vote Thursday, expressed their opposition to the three-strikes approach, which has been championed by President Nicolas Sarkozy of France and explored by governments of other countries, from Britain to Japan to Australia. Many consumer groups are also fighting such proposals, and at least one British service provider is promising a rebellion.

"It's a breach of our civil liberties," said Christofer Fjellner, a Swedish legislator in the European Parliament who sponsored the measure, an amendment to a report on cultural industries in Europe. "When government limits access to the Internet it's like limiting freedom of speech. It's like banning people from printing books."

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"We believe it's a threat, particularly to public liberties," said Christophe Espem, co-founder of a French group, Squaring the Net, formed to challenge proposed Internet restrictions. He noted that the new administrative authority that would rule on offenses would be outside the legal system.